


How Could I Have Known

by bainel



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Other characters will make an appearance - Freeform, Slow Burn, alternative universe, but not really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2020-12-27 14:28:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21120290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bainel/pseuds/bainel
Summary: Zelda Spellman, a tour guide at the Museum of Natural History in New York, finds her next-door neighbor, Mary Wardwell, absolutely irritating. However, Thanksgiving is coming, and somehow, Zelda found herself in this ridiculous situation. She needs Mary to pretend to be her girlfriend in front of her family. Will a week-long play-pretend turn into something real? Or will they return to their lives as if nothing had happened?Week Three of Madam Spellman Fictober ChallengePrompt: Fake Relationship





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> A few words before we dive into this mess:  
*This was supposed to be a one-shot (spoiler alert: it's not).  
*It's a modern/non-magical AU  
*Although I'm using Mary Wardwell's name, it's Lilith's character.  
*Since we don't know Dr. Cerberus' name I called him John. He looks like a John, doesn't he? (no)  
*I've rated it E because there will be some talk about past abuse. (TW: rape, violence, basically anything Faustus-related)  
*Timeline is not exactly the same as in the show  
*(do I even need to say - we do not proofread in this household. next time I'll do better, I swear.)  
Okay, I suppose that's everything.  
Enjoy!

Zelda Spellman leaned her back against the wall of the elevator and let out a heavy sigh. It was a long and exhausting day for her. She couldn’t wait to enter her apartment, take off those damned hills, take a bath, and then lay down for a few minutes to relieve the pain in her back. Oh, how she longed for her bed, with its soft pillows, warm cover… It was all she dreamed of for the last few hours of her shift.

She liked working as a tour guide at the Museum of Natural History, she really did. But the field trip days were her least favorite. Unruly children running around, talking between themselves loudly, not listening to a word she says. She had a way of dealing with such kids, of course. But after the field trip days, she always ended up with a headache and that day was no different.

The door of the elevator was almost closed when someone stuck their hand in between to stop it. Zelda raised her eyes and almost groaned when she saw the last person she wanted to see at that exact moment. Her next-door neighbor, Mary Wardwell. Clad in a black leather coat, high heels on her feet, her raven hair perfectly wild. As always, she looked amazing. It irked Zelda’s nerves. The woman stepped into the elevator, looked at her, and smirked.

“Spellman,” she said as a greeting, in that annoyingly silky voice of hers.

“Wardwell.”

They fell silent. The elevator’s door slid closed and Zelda felt that familiar pull in her stomach when the elevator started to move. She was painfully aware of the fact that Mary was looking at her. She could feel her eyes on her body and she was sure she was getting more pink by a second. She tried to focus on the changing numbers, signaling which floor they were currently on. She could swear the numbers were changing slower than usual. Zelda was determined to keep her eyes off of the other woman who, in turn, seemed to be determined to keep her eyes on Zelda. Was this elevator always moving so slowly?

“How was your day?” she heard the woman break the silence. 

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“Can’t a neighbor make small-talk with another neighbor?”

“No,” she said through gritted teeth. Honestly, how long can it take for an elevator to get to the fourth floor? Mary chuckled.

“Well, someone’s cranky. I guess that answers my question about your day.” Zelda rolled her eyes and finally looked at Mary. It was a mistake. If the time was running slowly before, at that moment it had stopped completely. There was nothing else but Mary's face. Her eyes, her damned blood-red smirk, her perfect hair. Zelda was sure she was no longer pink, she was burning red. She felt herself being pulled into those goddamned eyes. She would drown in them, she was sure of it. It was getting harder to breathe. She could swear she would suffocate any second. And… There was a chime, the door opened, Mary winked at her, and walked out of the elevator, as if nothing happened, but not before throwing a careless, “Until next time, Spellman.”

By the time Zelda came back to her senses the elevator’s door had closed once more. She took a deep breath to pull herself together and pushed the button on open the door again. Mary was nowhere in sight. Zelda shook her head and went straight up to her apartment's door.

Once inside her own apartment, she pushed the other woman out of her head, and she lost no time in taking off her heels and her coat. She turned the light on and blinked a couple of times to adjust her eyes to the sudden brightness. She looked around and let out a tired breath. Her apartment looked just as always. Empty. Zelda decorated the place when she first moved in, two years earlier, but it still felt empty and cold. There was a bookcase on top of which there were three framed pictures. There was a coffee table that had her paperwork on it. There was her sweater thrown on the back of the armchair. It was her place. But Zelda didn’t feel at home there. She felt as if living in a hotel room.

Zelda threw her handbag down on the couch and moved in the direction of the kitchen. She was almost there when she heard her phone ringing in the living room. She rolled her eyes and made her way back towards her handbag. She picked up without looking on the screen.

“Hello?”

_ “Zelds!” _ She had to move the phone away from her ear at the sound of her sister’s shrill voice.

“Hilda. It’s you.” 

_ “Were you expecting someone else?” _

“Well...” Zelda hadn’t had time to answer before her sister interrupted her.

_ “I just wanted to check if you are still coming over for Thanksgiving?” _

“Yes,” said Zelda, moving into the kitchen. She opened the fridge, took out the half-empty bottle of whiskey and put it down on the counter. “Actually, I was meaning to call you about that. I will come over earlier, that is this Sunday. And I’ll stay till Saturday if that’s alright with everyone.”

_ “Oh, Zelda! It’s more than alright!”  _ Zelda listened to her sister speaking as she opened the cupboard and took out a glass. She poured herself a healthy amount of whiskey, balancing her phone between her ear and her shoulder, and put the bottle back into the fridge. _ “-happy you’ll be home for a whole week! Sabrina and Ambrose are gonna freak out when I tell them! They invited their boyfriends, too, and John is coming, as well, so the house is going to be full of people. Just like when we were kids, remember?” _

“Yes, I remember.” She remembered too well. Her whole family, that big old house, Tom running around happily wagging his tail. The smell of her father smoking a pipe. The sound of her mother’s voice scolding him to not smoke inside the house. The smell of food cooking in the kitchen. The sound of her siblings’ laughter filling the house. She remembered painfully well.

_ “Zelda, I don’t want you to feel weird with everyone paired up at the dinner. I know with all the stuff you’ve been through-” _ But Zelda didn’t hear the rest of that sentence. Her mind taking her to a different memory this time. To a memory from two years earlier. The hot bedroom, the numb feeling in her limbs, the swirling in her head, the voice telling her… She realized she had an untouched glass of whiskey in her shaking hand, so she took a gulp, feeling her throat burning. She needed to calm down. She had enough of Hilda’s rambling. Irritation was bubbling inside her chest as she listened to Hilda talking about  _ him. _

“Actually…” She interrupted her sister in the middle of a sentence, putting her glass down on the counter with a bit too much force.  _ ‘Actually’ what? _ “I will be bringing someone home with me.”  _ WHAT? Where the fuck did that come from?  _ Zelda screwed her eyes shut cursing herself in the privacy of her head. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

_ “Really? Well, who is it?” ‘Who’, indeed, you idiot!  _ Her mind was racing. She was sure Hilda could hear the wheels working in her brain, trying to come up with something, literally  _ anything _ . And her mind took her back to the elevator. And a blood-red smirk showed up in her head. And a mane of raven hair. And she blurted out the name.

“Mary.”  _ FUCK. _

_ “Wardwell?!” No! _

“... Yes?” There was a moment of stunned silence on the other end of the line.

_ “But… I thought you hated each other.”  _ It wasn’t that they hated each other, per se. They just… annoyed each other on every occasion. And Zelda had to admit, Mary had a real talent for annoying her. And after what happened between them, almost half a year ago… She could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment, and she pushed the memory away from herself. 

“We grew fond of each other lately.”

_ “Are you guys…?” _

“Dating? Y-yes?” 

_ “Oh my goodness gracious!”  _ Hilda’s voice grew even more shrill and Zelda could almost see her little sister bouncing up and down with excitement. It was too late to take it all back.  _ “Zelds, I’m so happy for you! I can’t wait to meet her!” Shit. _

“Yes,” she said, trying to process what was happening. “You’re going to meet her. This Sunday. When we come over. For Thanksgiving.”

_ “No need to be nervous, love!”  _ said Hilda with a smile audible in her voice.  _ “I’m sure we’ll all love her.”  _ It was time to end that conversation and quick before Zelda could say anything else even more stupid.

“You know, Hildie, I need to go.”  _ Yes, you need to go, moron. _ “I’m really waiting for another call…”

_ “Oh, yes! Of course! Let me know what time should I pick you guys up from the airport.” _

“It won’t be necessary. We’ll get a rental. I’ll let you know what time we’ll be at the house.” 

_ “Okay! Oh, I just can’t wait for you to finally get here! I’m so excited!” _

“Yes. Yes, me too. Can’t wait.” Zelda downed the rest of her glass of whiskey in one long gulp. She felt her eyes prickling with tears and the burning liquid went down her throat.

_ “Bye! Love you!”  _ Hilda ended the call without waiting for her sister’s response.

_ What the hell have I done? _


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let the fun begin!

She let out a shuddering breath. Her fingers trembled when she raised her hand to knock on the door. She couldn’t do it. This was ridiculous. What would she even say?

An hour had passed since Hilda had called her. Zelda had spent this time downing two more glasses of whiskey and smoking at least half of her pack of cigarettes. How could she get herself into this situation? And most importantly, how would she get out of it? The most obvious thing to do was to call her sister and confess. That was the obvious thing and, somehow, Zelda couldn’t do it. She stared at her phone, and stared, and stared, and she couldn’t pick it up and choose Hilda’s name and just  _ call her. _ Just tell her. She couldn’t stand the thought of Hilda knowing the truth. The thought of Hilda knowing, that her older sister was still a mess, was too painful. That after two years she was still in pieces. She was supposed to be doing better. Wasn’t that the reason for her to move away so far? To start anew? She wouldn’t be able to bear Hilda’s disappointed look on her face when she’d find out the truth.

That’s why she was where she was. In front of Mary Wardwell’s door. She stared at it as if hoping it would open on its own. As if hoping that her neighbor would simply feel her presence at her doorstep. She took a deep breath and before she could change her mind, she knocked. Some movement could be heard behind the closed door. Steps getting nearer by a second. Zelda’s heart started to beat faster. Her palms started to sweat, and she fidgeted nervously with her hands. She was about to turn around and run back to her own apartment when the door finally opened, revealing Mary, clad in a tight burgundy dress. It wasn’t an improper dress by any means, yet the way the woman was wearing it made Zelda’s mind wander.

Mary Wardwell looked taken aback when she found Zelda at her doorstep. Quickly, however, the look of surprise turned into a smug smile. She leaned dramatically on the doorframe as if it was the only thing keeping her up.

“To what do I owe this…" her eyes raked over Zelda's body up and down, making her shift uncomfortably in her place "pleasure?”

“I…”

“Yes?” Mary lifted her eyebrows which, surprisingly, made her look like a sweet, innocent child. Zelda blinked a couple of times to get rid of the unwanted thought.

“I need a favor.” Zelda breathed out. The words had left a foul taste in her mouth.

“Oh, dear. It must be freezing in Hell.”

“Are you done?” Her nervousness vanished for a second giving way to annoyance. She rolled her eyes.

“Careful, Spellman. It’s you who needs a favor.” Mary moved aside to let Zelda enter her apartment and lead her into the living room.

Zelda looked around. It was nothing like what she had expected. She was expecting… Well, not this. The layout of the apartment was, from what Zelda could see, exactly the same as hers. Yet it looked so different. It was quite cozy. The entirety of one wall was covered with bookcases. Flowery cushions on the couch. Some sort of papers were scattered across the coffee table and the floor beside it. There was a half-empty teacup left abandoned on the floor next to the papers. Where Zelda’s apartment felt empty, Mary’s looked lived-in.

Mary walked over to sit on the couch and motioned for Zelda to do the same.

“Sorry about the mess. I wasn’t expecting any guests. So, what is it?”

This was the time she had to say out loud what she came for. Zelda looked down at her trembling hands in her lap. She could feel cold chills running down her spine. Why was she so nervous? She looked up at Mary. She was sitting there patiently with a small smile on her lips, observing her closely, and waiting for Zelda to speak. She swallowed hard and inhaled deeply. 

“I need you to… to pretend to be my p-partner.” How ridiculous it sounded when she said it out loud! She could feel the heat travel up her neck to her cheeks. Mary furrowed her eyebrows.

“‘Partner’ as in…?”

“Girlfriend.” Zelda was sure she was brick-red. She felt like a silly schoolgirl.  _ Get a grip, Spellman. _

“What? Why?” Must this woman make everything so difficult, she thought. How many questions could she ask? Zelda decided to tell a half-truth.

“Because… Because I’m going home for a week, for Thanksgiving, and my younger sister called me to ask if I’ll be bringing someone with me…”

“And you just really couldn’t think of anyone else but me?” Zelda looked up, her eyebrows knitted, her anger and frustration rising with every second. That infuriating smirk was back on Mary’s lips and it was almost too much for her.

“Don’t read too much into this. Your name just popped into my head.”

“So you thought ‘a fake date’ and your immediate thought was me. Interesting.” Mary laughed. Her voice was once again dripping with flirtatious tones Zelda was so familiar with. “There are better ways to ask a girl out, you know? Who knows, maybe I’d even say yes.”

“I don’t have time for your games today.”

“Really?” asked Mary, shifting a bit on the couch to face Zelda completely. She put her arm on the headboard. “And did it ever occur to you that I might not have time for  _ your _ games?”

“What do you mean?” Zelda frowned not understanding the question.

“What about  _ my _ plans for Thanksgiving?”

“Oh, please. Everyone in this building knows that…” Zelda stopped talking but it was already too late. Mary’s eyes darkened. Zelda could see her jaw clenching. Suddenly the atmosphere in the room had changed from kind of flirtatious to tense. Zelda’s heart stopped for a second just to start beating faster than usual. She never thought before speaking nowadays, it seemed.

“That…? Continue.” Mary’s voice was dangerously low and calm. Zelda swallowed hard, her eyes wide; she felt her palms getting sweaty again, and her stomach turning upside down. 

“That you always stay alone for holidays,” she said, and instantly regretted it.

It was somewhat one of the biggest gossips in their building. That’s why even Zelda, who didn’t mingle with her neighbors, knew about it. Every single person living there, knew, that Mary Wardwell spent every holiday alone. No one knew why, exactly, but then again, no one really tried to ask Mary about it, from what Zelda knew.

“You know, Spellman,” said Mary. She reached out to take her half-empty teacup and stared at the ember liquid without drinking it. “That is no way to speak to a person. Especially if the person in question is the only one who could help you.”

“I apologize. It was uncalled for.”

“I agree.” Mary took a sip of her tea.

Silence fell upon them. In normal circumstances, Zelda would have left by now. But she needed a clear answer. She needed to know if Mary would help her or not. Although, given how the conversation was going, Zelda thought that any chances of Mary’s help had flown right out of the window. She cleared her throat.

“Will you… Will you do this for me?”

“Why would I?” There was no trace of the usual spark in her eye when she looked at Zelda again. “We’re not exactly friends, are we? What’s in this for me?”

_ What? _ Zelda bit her lip while she strained her mind, trying to come up with  _ something _ but nothing seemed to fit. What could she offer to Mary Wardwell that would convince her to help her? 

“I… I will-I will do whatever you want.”

“Whatever I want?”

“Yes.” And she would surely regret it, she thought to herself.

“For a week spent with your family? Why? Why not just tell them the truth?”

Why, indeed. The whole ordeal had already cost her more effort and nerves than she would have expected. And then, Hilda’s disappointed face flashed before her eyes.

“My reasons are no concern of yours. So? Will you do it?”

Mary smiled at her devilishly. The spark was once again in her eyes. Her whole demeanor had changed in a blink of an eye, throwing Zelda off.

“Ask me,” she said. She crossed her legs which made her dress ride up her thigh. Zelda followed the movement with her eyes. When she looked up, she noticed Mary was biting her bottom lip while looking her directly in the eye, making that puppy-like innocent face. Zelda found it harder to breathe.

“I just did.” she croaked, her throat suddenly dry.

“No, no. Ask me properly.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me.” she leaned into Zelda’s personal space and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Say the magic word.”

“... Please?”

“Oh, I’m sure you can do better than that.” This was ridiculous, Zelda thought. She knew exactly was Mary was doing. She was toying with her. 

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“How could you tell?” Yes, Mary was definitely toying with her, and Zelda didn’t like it one bit. Yet, she knew she had to play along to get what she wanted. It was infuriating. She sighed heavily to let the woman know she was at her wit’s end.

“Fine… Mary Wardwell,” she said just  _ that _ little bit too sweetly, “will you please be my fake girlfriend, and spend a whole week - including Thanksgiving - with me and my family? And will you make it believable?”

“Hmm… Can I think about it overnight?”

“Wardwell.” she spat out warningly.

She has had enough of this woman’s games. That was it. Mary wouldn’t help her, and she would have to deal with this mess herself. She stood up and almost half-way to the door when Mary caught up with her and grabbed her wrist making her stop in her tracks. Zelda turned around to face her once more. It was only at that moment that she had noticed Mary, who usually was the same hight as her, was now so much smaller. She realized the woman was barefoot. The word ‘adorable’ had crossed her mind and she blinked a couple of times to get rid of it.

“Oh, come on,” said Mary letting go of Zelda’s wrist. “I’m only teasing. If the shoe was on the other foot you’d had me begging you for days.” That was true, Zelda had to admit it. If it was Mary who came to her with such a ridiculous request, she would make her beg for it. And even then she wouldn’t be sure if she’d help her.

“Will you do it?”

“Make you beg for days? Quite an appealing concept, I will admit.”

“Oh, shut up.” Zelda rolled her eyes.

“Make me.” Mary grinned. Zelda’s eyes immediately fell on her lips. They were still painted red and looked- “So, when would we be supposed to start?”

“This Sunday,” she said, trying to calm her pounding heart. What was wrong with her? “We’d stay with my family till Saturday.”

“Alright. I’ll do it.” It was as if someone had lifted a great weight off of Zelda’s shoulders. And yet, almost instantly suspicion had crept into her heart. She narrowed her eyes at the other woman.

“And what do you want in return?”

“Just a little favor.” Mary shrugged. “You know, a favor for a favor.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know yet. But let’s just say you’ll owe me.” Zelda knew she’d regret it. And she already did. But at the same time, she was glad it would only be a favor and not something else. She turned around and moved towards the door. She had already grabbed the doorknob with the intention of walking out when she realized she forgot about something. She turned to face Mary once more. Apparently she moved too quickly for Mary, who’s eyes flew back to her face from a place much lower on Zelda’s body. She raised her eyebrow and smirked, but otherwise didn’t question the other woman.

“I expect to see you downstairs on Sunday at 3 AM.”

“AM?” she exclaimed as if only now hearing of such an early hour. 

“It’s a long trip. Three flights and a car ride. Quite a few hours.”

“You know what, I changed my mind, you’re on your own.”

“Too late.” Zelda smiled despite herself. “You already agreed to it.” She opened the door and walked out of Mary’s apartment without another word. She was half-way to her own place when she heard Mary’s sarcastic tone.

“Oh, no, Zelda. No need to thank me, honestly. I’m only saving your ass.”

She pretended not to hear her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, let me know what you think.  
I live for feedback and validation.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have only one thing to say: This chapter was a pain in the ass. Enjoy.

She bolted upwards, covered in sweat, trying to desperately catch her breath. For a second she had no idea where she was. All she knew was that her heart was pounding loudly in her ears. Her eyes traveled frantically around the room, waiting for something to move, for someone to step out of the shadow. But nothing happened. She was alone, in her bedroom, in New York. There was no threat that’d be waiting for her just out of her eye’s reach.  _ She was alone. _ She inhaled deeply, trying to calm down her breathing, only now realizing that her alarm was going off on the bedside table. She turned it off and slumped back onto her pillows. It was only a dream. Just a nightmare.

Zelda groaned and covered her face with a pillow. Her nightgown was sticking to her body but she couldn’t care less. She was still trying to process what she’d just saw in her dream. What she'd felt. Her nightmare wasn't anything new;  _ he _ was there, of course. He was always there, waiting for her to close her eyes. She threw her pillow aside frustrated with herself, she was being dramatic. A grown-up woman, scared of monsters under her bed; honestly, how ridiculous. Get a grip, she thought to herself. 

With a heaviness in her chest, Zelda got out of the bed to get ready for a very long day. It was Sunday, after all. The day she was going to fly home with Mary and try to convince everyone they're together. She was exhausted with a mere thought. 

***

Zelda was leaning against the side of her car, her arms wrapped around herself to keep the autumn chill at bay, tapping her foot nervously against the pavement. Mary was late. Only two minutes, sure, but those two minutes could ruin their whole trip, Zelda was sure of it. 

A terrible thought invaded her head as the wind swept her hair around her head - what if Mary was not coming? What if she lied to her? What if she only said she’d help her, just to laugh behind her back at her stupidity? In no less than two more minutes Zelda was positively fuming. She stared at her feet, lost in her thoughts. How dare she? They made a deal. How dare she lie to her like that? Zelda huffed, irritated at her own naivety. To trust a woman she doesn’t know anything about, really!

She pushed off of the side of her car, fully intending to get in and drive away on her own, not bothering to wait any longer when someone’s arms wrapped themselves around her waist. Her head shot up to look at the stranger and she was met with soft lips kissing her own. 

“Hi, there, honey,” said Mary, smiling at her smugly, still holding her firmly in place.

“Wha-what are you doing?” Zelda quickly escaped Mary’s embrace and looked around to see if no one was watching them. The street was deserted, given the ungodly early hour. Still, she could feel her heart racing and her cheeks becoming pinker than they already were, given the cold weather. 

“I thought we were supposed to act like we’re a couple? Couples kiss, don’t they, Spellman?”

“Not here,” she hissed. “It’s my family we need to pretend in front of. Do you see them anywhere near?”

“I wouldn’t know, would I?” she shrugged. “I don’t know them, yet. For all I know, they could be walking down the street right now.”

Zelda looked at her with a raised eyebrow, unamused. Besides them, there was absolutely no one out on the street. The street lamps were still shining brightly, giving everything an orange tinge. 

“Must you be this infuriating first thing in the morning?” Zelda shook her head, moving to the back of the car to open the trunk.

“Oh, honey, you wouldn’t have me any other way. That’s why our relationship is working out so great.” Said Mary sarcastically, hoisting her baggage into the trunk.

Zelda took that time to look closer at the other woman. She looked different. She was wearing her usual leather coat, but something about her seemed… It hit her. Zelda had always seen Mary in a dress, with her hair perfectly wild, her make-up in place. And now Zelda could see she was wearing leggings, her face was bare from make-up, her hair put into two braids. She supposed the woman’s appearance was caused by the fact they were supposed to spend eleven hours traveling. Yet still, she-

“Enjoying the view?” Mary grinned at her, shutting the trunk closed. 

Zelda rolled her eyes and huffed, and walked to the driver’s side of the car.

“I hate you,” she muttered under her breath opening the car’s door.

“Don’t you mean you love me?” asked Mary from the other side of the car.

“I mean if you won’t shut up and get in the car I’m going to commit a murder.” Zelda got in and buckled up. Mary got into the passenger seat chuckling.

“Aw, honey. I love it when you do that.”

“I swear to God,” she muttered to herself and started the car. She immediately turned the heating on. She was practically freezing because of the waiting for the other woman. Which reminded her. “By the way, you're late. I said 3 AM.”

“I'm only five minutes late.”

“And those five minutes in traffic could make us miss our flight,” said Zelda as she checked her mirrors, and put the car in drive.

“You mean this traffic?” Asked Mary as they drove onto the empty street.

Zelda did not think it necessary to answer that sarcastic question. She simply concentrated on driving. She hated to admit it but Mary was right. Every street they passed was deserted, save for an occasional car that drove in the opposite direction.

“So where are we going to, exactly?” Mary spoke after fifteen minutes of driving in silence.

“Greendale… Wyoming.”

“Wyoming?” she exclaimed. “Are you serious? Who would have thought that fancy Miss Spellman grew up in Wyoming.”

“Why is this so surprising to you?”

“I don’t know.” Although Zelda was keeping her eyes on the road, she could practically feel Mary shrugging. “I suppose I never imagined you growing up anywhere. It’s like you rose up straight out of Hell.”

“Aren’t you funny, huh?”

“I’m hilarious and you know it.”

***

It was four o’clock when they had finally boarded the plane. They were walking down the aisle to take their seats when Mary spoke again.

“It just occurred to me, we know nothing about each other.”

“So?” asked Zelda.

“So your family will probably notice.” They found their row and Mary let Zelda take the window seat while she put her carry on bag in the overhead compartment. She took her seat right next to Zelda. “Tell me about them. You said you have a younger sister?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

Zelda fell silent and looked out of the small window. Her mood shifted drastically. A minute ago she was only nervous and now she was irritated on top of that. She didn't like to speak about her family. Especially not to a stranger. But Mary was right, her family was probably going to notice that the two women know nothing about each other and their lives. And it would seem odd to them, since Zelda was supposed to be  _ dating _ that woman.

“Her name is Hilda.” she finally said, still looking out of the window. The sky was just starting to change its colors. “There’s also Sabrina and Ambrose.”

“Are they your siblings too?”

“No.” Zelda closed her eyes for a second and saw the faces of her other siblings. She clenched her jaw before speaking again. “Sabrina is my niece and Ambrose is my nephew.”

“So they’re Hilda’s kids, right?”

“No.” she said again. She could feel her throat tightening with every word she spoke. “Sabrina is my younger brother’s… Edward’s daughter. And Ambrose is my older sister’s son. Cecilia’s.”

“Will your brother and sister be there as well?”

She didn't want to think about her siblings. Especially not about Edward. Not now. Not when she was sitting on an airplane that was minutes away from taking off. It was enough for her that she felt more and more on edge by the second. See didn't need to think about him.

“They’re dead.”

“Oh… I’m-I’m sorry.”

“Why? You didn’t know them.” Her voice was dry, trying to let Mary know she was not interested in continuing that particular conversation. To her relief she seemed to get the message and changed the subject. 

“How old are the kids?”

“Sabrina is sixteen. Ambrose is twenty-one.”

“So they’re not kids anymore.”

“I suppose not.”

“Who else is going to be there?” Must this woman ask so many questions, she thought.

“Hilda mentioned her boyfriend, John. And Sabrina’s and Ambrose’s boyfriends, as well, Harvey and Luck.”

“I see.” They fell silent.

Zelda could feel her heart rate going up. The flight attendant started to explain all of the safety details and Zelda listened, trying to focus on the woman's voice. Trying to memorise everything she said. She could feel her throat going dry, and hear the ringing in her ears. She remembered to take her pills that morning, but she knew from the start that it was a lost cause. Of course, Mary had to pick up on her nervousness because after the flight attendant finished her monologue she looked at her with knitted eyebrows. 

“Are you okay?”

“I’m perfectly fine.” she dismissed trying to sound unbothered, though her knuckles became white from gripping the armrests for dear life. The plane started to move and Zelda's head started to spin.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” She could feel Mary's eyes on her face.

“You know, I’m gonna be honest with you," Mary said carefully, watching Zelda’s every move. "I’m a little scared of flying.”

“Is that so?” she asked through gritted teeth.

“Yeah. Would you mind holding my hand? It always helps if I can hold onto someone.” Zelda wasn't oblivious to what Mary was doing. She looked at the hand she was offering her as if it was offending her in some way. She wanted to refuse, she truly did, but then the airplane started to shake a bit and she closed her eyes, trying to ignore her brother's face that was floating behind her eyelids. She will not think about it. She won't panic just because her brother…

“Fine.” She took Mary's hand in hers and tried to ignore a huge smile that bloomed on the other woman's face. Mary intertwined their fingers and started to rub soothing circles with her thumb on the back of Zelda's hand.

***

By the time they took their last flight Zelda didn't even wait for Mary to offer her hand to hold. She simply took it as soon as they sat down in their seats. She spoke nothing of it and was glad that Mary followed her example.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime they landed in Casper, Wyoming. Zelda was glad she didn't have to take any more planes, she wasn't sure she'd survive one more flight.

They rented a car to get to Greendale, since it was only an hour away now. They put their baggage in the trunk and got inside. Zelda fished her phone out of her purse and opened the text messages. She picked the conversation with Hilda and typed a quick, new message:  _ Finally in Casper. We'll be there in an hour.  _ She hit send and dropped her phone back into her purse. She was ready for this trip to be over.

It felt weird being back. Driving through the familiar country roads, seeing the views she knew so well since she was a child. It's been only two years, and it wasn't like she haven't visited before. She was there last time during Easter, after all. Yet it felt like a whole lifetime ago.

The weather was just as Zelda was expecting it to be. Misty, cold, gloomy. It was a miracle it wasn't raining yet, she thought.

They drove in silence, when out of the blue Mary, who seemed to be following her own train of thoughts, asked,

"What about the little things?"

"What?" Zelda blinked, realizing she hadn't been paying any attention to where she was going, fully driving on autopilot. She glanced at Mary who was sitting with her head propped against the window. When she audibly yawned, it was clear to Zelda she was exhausted with their little trip.

"You know, little things people in a relationship know about each other."

"Meaning?"

"Oh, I don't know… What did you want to be when you grow up?”

“Seriously?” Zelda raised her eyebrows. She couldn't believe Mary really wanted to play 'what's your favourite color' question game, but she supposed… the better they know each other the easier it would be to convince everyone else that they're together. So she thought back to her childhood trying to remember. All she came up with was the fact that- “I honestly don’t remember. My siblings and I always talked about traveling the world together. I traveled a bit by myself.” Run away, more like, she thought to herself.

For a minute there she got lost in her memories. She saw with her mind's eye herself in her teenage years, packing up her bags and asking Edward to come with her. To run away as they had always dreamed about. But he refused, saying-

“Where did you go?” Mary's voice brought her back to the reality. Zelda realized they were almost in Greendale. They had drove into the forest that was surrounding the town.

“Europe." There was no point of going into details. "What about you? What did you want to be?” Mary got quiet and when Zelda glanced at her she saw the other woman had her head turned away, looking out of the window.

“A princess, of course,” she said after a while. Her voice sounded flat, without her usual flare. Zelda did not believe her answer but let it go nevertheless. Mary changed the subject. “What do you do for a living? I’ve just realized I have no idea…”

“I’m a tour guide. At the Museum of Natural History.”

“Really? Is it true that the exhibits come to life at night?”

“No.” she exhaled. She had heard that question way too often. Usually, it was asked by the kids who have seen the 'Night at the Museum' movie, since it was the same place. “What do you do?”

“I’m a teacher.”

“What?” That was not what she was expecting, at all.

“In high school. I teach civics. Studied history in college, though. Wanted to be a historian at one point.” Interesting, she thought, we actually might have some things in common.

“I studied foreign languages. French at first. And then some others.” She didn't want to admit just how many languages she spoke, it always freaked people out for some reason. They drove past the welcoming sign. "We're almost there. My family doesn't live in the town so we don't have to drive through it."

"Do you have a farm?"

"No," she rolled her eyes. "Why would we?"

"It's Wyoming. Doesn't everyone have a farm here?"

Zelda couldn't help a small smile that crept onto her face. It actually felt quite nice, talking with Mary and getting to know her. She truly wished they wouldn't have to get out of the car in less than ten minutes. Because the closer they were to the Spellman house the more on edge she felt. What if they find out? What if they'd be able to tell it's all a lie from the start? Oh, how she wished she could drive and drive and drive and never reach the final destination.

But the thing with wishes was, they never came true the way you wanted them to. And sometimes they never came true at all. This time was no different. Before they knew it, Zelda was driving off of the main road and into the long driveway. She could already see the big, gloomy house, standing alone in the middle of nowhere. Waiting for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember that I live for feedback and validation ❤


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is what it is. Just enjoy it.

“Aunt Zee!”

They have barely pulled up in front of the house and got out of the car when the front door opened and a young blonde girl with a huge smile on her face run out.

“Zee?” murmured Mary teasingly so only Zelda could hear her.

“Shut up.” she rolled her eyes but the moment she caught the sight of her niece her face lit up. A huge smile bloomed on her face as she watched Sabrina run down the front stairs and she moved forward to meet the girl halfway. When she was within reach she pulled her niece close, cradling her blonde head to her chest.

“Sabrina!" she sighed, dropping a kiss at the top of her head. She pulled away, holding Sabrina by her shoulders to get a good look at her niece, "Oh, darling! Look at you! You’ve grown so much.”

Sabrina took a step away from Zelda, a big grin still on her face, and her eyes twinkling. She looked so much like Diana, Zelda thought for the millionth time. Every time she looked at her niece she immediately saw Diana. But then Sabrina would say or do something and Zelda’s mind jumped to the image of Edward. And it pained her. To see how much like her parents Sabrina really was.

“I’m so happy to see you,” said the teenage girl. She looked at Mary, her face lighting up. “You must be Mary. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Mary shook Sabrina’s offered hand.

“Auntie!”

Another voice rang out in the air. A male voice with a British accent. She looked towards the front door where her nephew was currently running down the front steps, taking two at a time. His usual grin was plastered to his face. She couldn’t help but smile.

“Ambrose!” Her nephew run up to her and took her into a bone-crushing hug. “Young man, you have to stop growing. You’re so much taller than when I last saw you.”

“And much more handsome, don’t forget about that,” he laughed, letting go of his aunt. He looked at Mary and offered her his hand to shake and a devilish grin, “I’m Ambrose. A pleasure to meet someone capable of surviving with auntie on a daily basis.”

“It’s a real struggle.” Mary chuckled. She looked like she already knew she would best friends with Ambrose.

“Alright, enough,” said Zelda irritated. She looked at Sabrina, “Where is Hilda?”

“Oh, aunt Hilda went grocery shopping with Dr. Cee.”

“Dr. Cee?” asked Mary, looking confused at Zelda.

“Her boyfriend, John Cerberus,” she explained, rolling her eyes, “Everyone around here calls him Cerberus or Dr. Cee because he owns some stupid bookstore in town.”

“It’s a lovely place,” Sabrina sounded offended. She loved that bookstore, Zelda knew. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mary shiver in the chilly air. She was getting cold herself, and the kids didn’t even put on their coats before going out to greet them. She sighed.

“Let’s not stand outside. I could kill for a cup of coffee.”

Ambrose and Sabrina helped them with their suitcases, carrying them up the porch steps. They walked into the house and Zelda was immediately hit in the face with nostalgia. Just like every time she walked back there. Was it really just two years of her living in New York? It felt like a lifetime.

Zelda and Mary put their coats on the coat hanger in the hallway. They also left their suitcases in the hallway, Zelda decided they would deal with them later. They moved to the kitchen. Ambrose immediately walked over to put the kettle on, asking if they wanted coffee or tea. Zelda craved a large cup of coffee, even though she knew it wouldn’t do anything to get rid of her exhaustion. Mary asked for tea.

They sat at the table, Sabrina and Ambrose taking care of preparing their hot drinks. Zelda watched as they worked around the kitchen, a small smile on her face. She felt Mary’s hand on her own and she flinched. She cleared her throat, trying to not notice the confused look on Mary’s face.

“So, let me know what’s happening in your lives,” she said when Sabrina put a plate with cookies on the table. “We haven’t talked for so long.”

“Same old, auntie,” said Ambrose, putting her mug with steaming coffee in front of her, “The college’s fine. I’m a waiter now too.”

“You’ve got a job?” Zelda knew her nephew was looking for a long time, with no luck. The news made her chest swell with pride. She picked up her mug and took a careful sip. The coffee was scalding hot but it did wake her up a little.

“I’m the best waiter there could ever be,” as he said this, he was about to put down Mary’s cup of tea, but his hand shook a little bit and he spilled some of the tea on the saucer. He grinned apologetically and sat down next to Mary.

“I bet,” Zelda chuckled, “And how’s Luck? He’s coming over for Thanksgiving, right?”

“Yes. But he had some family matter to attend to, so he’ll come over later this week.”

“Lovely.”

“That he is. A lovely, handsome, young man.” he turned to Mary, who was just taking a sip of her tea, and winked at her, “Mind you, Mary, not as handsome as I am, but still.”

“Aren’t you the most modest of them all, huh Ambrose?” asked Sabrina, rolling her eyes and sitting down on the chair to Zelda’s left.

“You know it, cousin. I got it after aunt Zee.”

“I bet you did,” murmured the young girl. 

“And you Sabrina?” Zelda decided to change the subject. “How’s school?”

“Oh, it’s fine. I’m still trying to adjust to the Academy.” Zelda knew that her niece has recently transferred to a different high school. “I miss my friends.”

“I bet they’re just fine,” she didn’t like the sad look on Sabrina’s face so she decided to change the subject once more. “How’s Harvey dealing with long-distance?” 

“We broke up, auntie.”

“You did?” Was she bound to picking the subjects that would upset her niece?

“It’s alright,” Sabrina shrugged and put on a brave face, “It wasn’t working out. We’re still friends, though. He’s with Roz, now. And I’m with Nicolas. So it’s all good.”

“Nicolas? Who’s Nicolas?”

“Nicolas Scratch. He takes one of my classes at the Academy.”

“I see,” she said. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about Sabrina’s dating life. She supposed, as long as she could get to know the person she’s seeing, and make sure it wasn’t someone inappropriate for her niece. So she asked, “I guess I’ll be meeting him at Thanksgiving?”

“Yes.”

There was a sound of the front door opening and slamming closed again. Hilda’s shrill voice could be heard clearly from where they were sitting. Zelda stood up and made her way towards the hallway. She was vaguely aware of the fact that Mary and the kids were following her.

“-notice it was this hour already! My goodness, Zelds’ going to be here any minute and-”

“Already here, sister,” she said rounding the corner and almost slamming into Hilda.

“Zelda!” her sister’s voice was deafening, she pulled Zelda against her, holding her close in a tight hug, “Goodness, gracious! You’re here!”

“Don’t get so emotional,” said Zelda pulling away. She looked above Hilda’s shoulder at John, who was standing there awkwardly. She knew he was a bit uncomfortable around her, but she did nothing to change that. Zelda just nodded at him as a greeting, and he smiled.

“I’m sorry,” Hilda was practically bouncing up and down with happiness, “I’m just so excited! You’re finally here!”

“Stop yelling, woman,” yet she couldn’t help a little smile in the corner of her mouth, as she watched her excited little sister. Seeing Hilda this happy made her think of their childhood. When Hilda would just trail behind her, listening to every word her older sister had to say, with a pure look of child-like wonder on her face.

Zelda felt a hand on her lower back and she jumped up in surprise. She turned and was faced with Mary, smirking at her.

“Sorry,” said Hilda, offering her hand for Mary to shake, “Oh, where are my manners? I’m Hilda. This is John. You must be Mary. It’s so nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. Zelda told me all about you.”

“Oh, I doubt it, love,” Hilda chuckled and both, Mary and Zelda, looked at her with confusion. Zelda was starting to get nervous. Has Hilda already find out it was all a lie? She could feel her heart starting to beat faster than usual, but her sister just said, “Zelda is a tough nut to crack. I wouldn’t believe you if you told me she had told you a single thing about her family before you got here.”

“Alright, you got me there,” Mary laughed, but Zelda could hear a slightly relieved note in her tone. Mary looked at Zelda and grinned at her while saying, “Sometimes I get a feeling like I barely know a thing about her.”

She was about to commit murder. Zelda could not believe this woman. It was as if she was asking for someone to pick up on the fact that they were only pretending.

"Oh, don't worry, love,” said Hilda. “She needs time to warm up to people.”

They moved back into the kitchen. Ambrose helped John with carrying the groceries and putting them all away. Hilda made more tea and took out a pie. Zelda and Mary stood next to the long wooden table. Mary tried to take Zelda’s hand but she crossed her arms on her chest.

“I assume this relationship is new?" asked Hilda, eyeing them with a glint in her eye, as she cut the pie.

"It is a bit fresh," Mary smiled at her.

“So?”

“So what, Hilda?” asked Zelda, irritated by the whole conversation. She was feeling on edge. She knew she didn’t think this whole situation through, but she had no idea she would be in constant fear that someone would notice that something was off.

“Tell us about this thing you’ve got going on there,” Hilda put the pie on the table and turned to look at them again, “I’m sorry, Mary, but before I called my sister this Friday, we had no idea you were together.”

“Well, you said it yourself. Zelda’s a tough nut. She likes to keep her life private.”

“Oh, tell me about it,” she chuckled, “It’s a miracle if I can even get her to tell me how’s her day been.” Hilda glanced at Zelda with a weird look in her eyes, but before Zelda could identify it, it was gone. She was smiling again at Mary. “I know you two are neighbors. Forgive me, but from what I know, you weren’t each other’s biggest fans.”

“You know how it is. Some bickering in the corridor here, some sexual tension in the elevator there.” Zelda’s eyes shot to Mary’s smug face with horror. How could she bring that up? In front of her family? Was she going to embarrass her? Her mind immediately went back in time to six months earlier when she made a complete fool out of herself.

_ Zelda has had a lot of bad days in her life and as much as she wanted, she couldn’t call that day the worst one. It seemed as if every thing that could go wrong, did. It started the very morning when she overslept for work, and it just went downhill from there. Because of massive traffic on her way to the museum she walked into her workplace being late almost an hour. In her rush, she only caught a glimpse of her boss’s disapproving face. She knew she was in trouble. It was a field trip day, and she was late for the first tour of the day. Her coworker had to take that one in her place, until she stepped in, breathless, and took over with a grateful smile. She had to endure unruly kids and teenagers for the rest of the day, trying to get at least a little bit of their attention. By the time her lunch break came, she was losing her voice, she could feel a terrible headache starting to build behind her right eye, and she was already dreaming of going back home. Her boss came to her to ask why she was late. When she made an excuse he straight up told her that one more time of coming in late and she’s out. Zelda thought this unfair as it was her first time. After she somehow survived her entire shift she was exhausted and near tears. All that she wanted was to just make all of the emotions, the exhaustion, and the bad things that happened that day to go away.  _

_ So when on her way home she came across a bar, the temptation to go in and drown her sorrows with liquor was too strong. She’s ordered a glass of whiskey. And then another one. And another one. And long story short when she walked out of the bar, her legs were shaking and the ground beneath her feet was swaying dangerously, making her unsteady on her high heels. She thought better than getting back into her car, the tenement house she lived in wasn’t that far away, so instead, she walked. _

_ She was leaning against the wall of the elevator, waiting for it to close its door and go up, so she could go home and end this nightmare of a day, when a woman stepped in. Mary Wardwell, her next-door neighbor, with whom she’d only exchanged a few polite sentences and a lot of bickering. She couldn’t deny the obvious attraction she’d felt towards the other woman from the first time she’d seen her. Every time she saw her she couldn’t stop herself from admiring her. But she was sober every time that happened, and her sober self was no fun, not like now. Her sober self was ignoring her attraction to Mary, but Drunk Zelda was different. Drunk Zelda felt emboldened that night. So the moment Mary saw her and smirked at her, Zelda knew she had to do something about it. Her alcohol-soaked brain thought it was a brilliant idea. Since everything went wrong, then it couldn’t get any worse, could it? _

_ She stepped closer to Mary on her shaky legs. The tiny room was swaying slightly; she was vaguely aware of the fact that the elevator’s door had finally closed. She tried to focus her eyes on Mary’s face. The woman had a surprise written on her face but Drunk Zelda did not notice. She walked into Mary’s personal space, practically pressing their bodies together, to the point where Mary had to put her hands on Zelda’s waist, as to not lose her balance. _

_ “What are you…?” asked Mary, but Zelda interrupted her by leaning in and kissing her hard. It was a sloppy kiss, there were too much tongue and not a lot of technique. Zelda was too drunk to realize that Mary was not responding to her kiss. She just stood there, completely frozen with shock. The elevator’s door opened just in time. The chime announcing their arrival to their floor helped Mary to regain her senses. She pulled back, blushing furiously, still holding Zelda by her waist, this time to keep Zelda upright.  _

_ “You’re drunk,” she breathed out, frowning. _

_ “I’m so drunk,” said Zelda grinning lazily. Mary’s face was going in and out of focus. The woman sighed and took a more secure hold of her. Zelda leaned into Mary’s side, marveling at the wonderful heat that was radiating from her. She was tired. _

_ “Let’s get you into bed, huh?” _

_ “Only if you’ll join me.” _

_ The next thing she remembered was waking up the next morning in her own bed, her head throbbing painfully, her mouth dry, feeling nauseated. She rolled over in her bed, groaning. Her head felt light as a feather and it wasn’t the most pleasant of feelings. She opened her eyes, trying to ignore the irritating sunlight that was invading her bedroom. Zelda spotted a glass of water placed on her bedside table. She didn’t remember putting it there, but then again, she didn’t remember much of anything else. She knew she had a bad day at work, she knew she went to a bar, she… _

_ The memories of the previous night flooded her head. The elevator. Mary. The kiss. _

_ She felt her heart rate speed up. She wanted to bury her head in the sand. What was she thinking? Kissing Mary Wardwell, a total stranger! What was wrong with her? She felt ashamed because of her behavior. _

_ For the next couple of days, she tried to avoid Mary at all costs. But when she did finally bumped into her accidentally, she could feel her cheeks getting beet red. She couldn’t look her in the eye, she just tried to ignore her. She felt so relieved when Mary didn’t bring it up, not even once to just tease Zelda a little. She acted as if nothing had happened. And Zelda felt even more ashamed of herself because of that. _

“One thing led to another and here we are. Isn’t that right, honey?”

Mary’s voice brought her back to reality. A hand on her lower back made her jump in surprise. Zelda blinked a couple of times to get rid of the memory from her head. She stiffened feeling Mary’s touch. She tried to put a smile on her face but judging by the look Mary gave her, she wasn’t convincing.

“Yes,” she said simply, after clearing her throat. She moved away from the other woman’s reach. Suddenly Mary’s touch was too much. It was overwhelming. She couldn’t bear it. Not with the vivid images flashing before her eyes. There was a second of awkward silence before John, who eyed them both uncomfortably from his seat, asked,

“What do you do for a living, Mary?” The woman turned her attention away from Zelda.

“I’m a teacher.”

“Really? What do you teach?”

“Civics.”

Zelda had to get away from the kitchen, and quickly. She couldn’t stand their casual conversation. She felt tense and was just waiting for something to slip, to give them away, to reveal to the world that this whole performance was just that. A performance. An act. A lie.

She moved to exit the kitchen, trying to not draw attention to herself, yet she could feel eyes on the back of her neck, following her retreating form all the way till she stepped around the corner, into the corridor. She could hear John’s excited voice.

“Oh, wow! That’s so interesting!”

She opened the front door, not bothering with putting on her coat and stepped out of the house onto the porch. She took a deep breath of the cold, misty, humid air, letting it fill her lungs. What was she thinking? Asking Mary to play pretend with her in front of her family. Was she out of her mind? It would appear so, she thought. 

Zelda moved closer to the railing of the porch. She leaned against it by putting her elbows on top of it. She tried to calm down her racing thoughts. The whole idea of her asking Mary to pretend to be her girlfriend seemed ridiculous. How could she ever come up with that? And after everything that had happened, after she had humiliated herself by drunkenly kissing Mary! This was a bad idea. It was bound to blow up in her face sooner or later. She should just end it now before anyone could find out it was all a lie…

She sighed heavily. As much as she wanted to end the whole thing, she knew she couldn't. It was too late. The only thing left to do was to go along with it. She was angry with herself. But… she could feel her anger and frustration die down, making way for exhaustion. The eleven hours of traveling across the country were finally catching up with her.

Her eyes were drawn to the sight in front of her. The woods covered in a blanket of mist was a sight she had always loved. It looked mysterious and a little bit spooky. When she was a young girl, she used to sit on that very porch and look at the dark and mysterious forest. Making up all sorts of stories with her siblings about fairies, elves, witches, and other magical creatures that might live there.

She heard the front door open and then close again, and moments later her own coat was placed upon her shoulders. She looked at the person standing beside her and was not surprised to see Mary, smiling softly at her. The woman put her hands on top of the railing right next to Zelda. She turned away from Mary and stared off into the distance once more. The woods in front of the house looked peaceful, just as the field.

“You have a really nice family,” she heard her say. Mary followed her eyes and looked at the view in front of the house. Her eyes scanned the forest and the field that was covered in mist. Zelda wondered if she could see the lone deer that was walking calmly at the edge of the woods.

“This isn’t working out,” she sighed, keeping her eyes on the deer.

“You think?" Mary asked a sarcastic note in her voice, "Listen, I know how to act like a sweet and loving girlfriend. But you need to stop avoiding any little touch from me. You need to relax.”

Zelda straightened up and turned to face Mary. She felt a stinging sensation of irritation in her chest. The audacity of this woman, she thought. How dare she!

“I am…”

“Really?" Mary interrupted her, turning to face her as well. She took a small step towards her, leaving next to no space between them. She looked her deep in the eyes and frowned, "Kiss me, then.”

Zelda stared; her eyes growing wide. She wasn’t sure if she understood Mary correctly. Mary was looking at her expectantly, with her eyebrows raised. Zelda shook her head a little.

“There’s no one here. We don’t need to do this.”

“I know,” said Mary, “But behind these doors, there are people who expect to see two people in love, who have been intimate with each other in every shape and form, countless times. Not two strangers, afraid to touch each other, kissing for the first time.”

“Not the first time,” she murmured, dropping her gaze, her mind immediately jumping back to that embarrassing memory and to that morning when Mary kissed her in front of her car.

“Doesn’t count,” Mary waved it off and let out a small sigh, “Now. Kiss me like you miss me, Spellman.”

Zelda’s eyes shot up to Mary’s face at the sound of her teasing voice. The raised eyebrow, the ghost of a smirk on her lips, the challenge clearly visible on her face. Mary moved even closer to Zelda so that now their bodies were pressed together. Zelda felt the woman’s hands sneaking under her coat to rest on her waist and keep her in place. She got distracted with the feeling of warmth that was emanating from Mary’s hands and spreading through her whole body. She was sure her face was brick-red. Her heart was trying to get out of her chest. Her eyes were jumping back and forth, from Mary’s eyes to her lips. Mary leaned in; Zelda’s breath caught in her throat. She could feel Mary’s nose brushing slightly against her own. She was starting to get lightheaded from the closeness of the other woman. She was sure her brain had turned into mush because she wasn’t able to come up with a single cohesive thought. Her eyes closed on their own accord. She waited for Mary’s lips to press against hers but… 

“Kiss me, Spellman,” she felt the words against her lips, and all she could do was to obey. She tilted her head slightly and leaned in, capturing Mary’s lips. Electricity shot through her body at the feeling of their lips moving together. Her body was acting on its own accord. One of her hands moved up to cup Mary’s cheek, caressing her cheekbone with her thumb. The other hand tangled itself in Mary’s hair, pulling her even closer to her body. She felt Mary letting out a sigh, opening her mouth and granting Zelda entrance. When Zelda slipped her tongue into Mary’s mouth, she felt the hands on her waist tightening their hold and slipping to her back.

She lost track of the time. All she knew was Mary. Her hand on her body, her lips moving against hers, her tongue dancing inside her mouth. She heard a small moan but wasn’t entirely sure which one of them let it out. But then the oxygen became a primary need and Zelda broke the kiss, panting for air. Mary was blushing furiously, her eyes darkened, her lips swollen, some of Zelda’s lipstick smeared across her lips. They looked at each other as if only now truly seeing the other person. Blood was rushing in Zelda’s ears; suddenly the chilly air wasn’t bothering her anymore, quite the opposite, actually, she was feeling hot waves washing over her.

“That…” said Mary, breathing heavily, her voice hoarse. She cleared her throat. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

But before Zelda could answer, the front door swung open, making them jump away from each other. She immediately missed Mary’s warmth next to her body. She scolded herself in her own head for such thoughts. Mary turned around towards the railing, pretending to be interested in the scenery around them. Zelda faced the newcomer. It was Sabrina that walked outside.

“Auntie, aunt Hilda wants to know…” she stopped in her tracks. Her smile faltered when she saw her aunt’s face. Her eyes grew wide and her cheeks turned pink. She looked from Zelda to Mary who was still stubbornly staring into the distance. “Um, aunt Zee, you-you’ve got some lipstick… right there.”

There was one word to describe what happened next. Sabrina fled. She ran away, back to the house, slamming the door, leaving her shocked and blushing aunt and Mary on the porch.

Zelda wiped at her lips to get rid of the lipstick, she turned around to look at Mary. She was still leaning against the railing. Zelda took a step towards her but stopped herself. Her body was still buzzing with sensations after that kiss. She had to get away from the other woman to clear her head.

“I…” she cleared her throat, “I’m exhausted, gonna go to bed now. If you need anything just ask Hilda.”

Much like Sabrina, she felt as if she was running away. Her legs couldn’t carry her fast enough. She left Mary outside and went into the house. At the foot of the stairs, she bumped into Hilda who was coming down from upstairs.

“Oh, Zelds! I prepared your old bedroom. I thought you’d be more comfortable there than in the guestroom.”

“Thank you, Hildie,” she rushed past her little sister, trying not to catch Hilda’s eye. She didn’t want to be interrogated right now. She didn’t want to hear whatever Sabrina had told Hilda after she walked in on them on the porch. All she wanted was to take a shower, change into her nightgown, go to bed, and forget about everything. She was tempted to go into the parlor, to the liquor cabinet, to take a bottle of whiskey with her, but she thought better than that. Not when her head was full of memories of that awful day. Not when she was still feeling Mary’s lips and hands on her body. She needed to calm down, but she’d have to manage without alcohol.

Zelda walked through the corridor, trying to not get lost in her memories of her childhood. Everywhere she looked, there was Edward running down the stairs, Cecilia working her magic in the kitchen, their parents bickering in the parlor. She shook her head to get rid of the images and walked up to her bedroom door. She pushed the door opened and immediately felt as if she was transported back in time. 

The room looked just like it always did. Like she’d never left. Her bed looked inviting, there were a few books at her bedside table, her vanity still had some of her things on it. On the rocking chair in the corner, there still was a sweater, laying neatly folded, waiting to be picked up again. I’m being silly today, she scolded herself and stepped into her bedroom. Hilda had put her suitcase at the foot of her bed, so she opened it and took out her nightgown and a toothbrush. Her bedroom didn’t have an en-suite bathroom so she took her things and walked down the corridor to take a shower.

She took her time in the bathroom. The hot water has always soothed her nerves and that was exactly what she needed. She let the water wash away all of her anxieties, stress, and other emotions. When she finally stepped out of the shower, her skin pink from the heat of the water, she felt calmer. Not exactly as calm as she’d like, but calmer. She brushed her teeth, brushed her wet hair, dried her body with a fluffy towel, and put on her nightgown.

All she wanted was to go back into her bedroom and fall asleep as soon as her head touches the pillow. But when she opened the door of her room she saw Mary. Dressed in her own silky nightgown, with her hair put into two braids. She was holding one corner of the cover, up in the air, as if she was about to get into Zelda’s bed.

Zelda tried to ignore the way Mary’s nightgown was flowing down her body, how her bare legs looked absolutely inviting. No, she thought, feeling her cheeks getting pinker. She won’t let those thoughts take over her again.

“Yes?” she asked Mary, expecting some kind of explanation as to why was she in her room. She moved to put her dirty cloaths away and try to ignore the presence of the other woman. She walked to the vanity and looked at the things laying there. She found what she was looking for and picked up a body lotion. She unscrewed the lid and scooped a bit of the lotion onto her hand and started to rub it into her forearms. She was doing everything to not have to look at Mary.

“Hilda directed me to this room,” Mary shrugged. 

“To my bedroom?” Zelda turned to frown at her. What was Hilda thinking?

“I suppose since we’re together, sharing a bed is not a problem.” Mary finally got into bed and made herself comfortable there. She raised an eyebrow, challenging Zelda to disagree with her. Zelda clenched her jaw. Damn this woman, she thought.

“I suppose not.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I'm so sorry for the long wait. I was struggling with some creative block. I think I got over it, for now, so here you have the new chapter.  
Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear your thoughts.


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been 84 years!  
I missed this.  
WARNING: There is a nightmare right at the beginning of the chapter. Nothing too explicit, but I thought you should know.  
Other than that - enjoy!

She was laying on her back in a bed. That was the first thing her sluggish mind had registered. The second was, she was naked; she could feel the silk sheets beneath her bare body. Completely naked like the day she was born. Exposed to the chilly air of the room; a shiver run down her spine.

Opening her eyes proved to be a lot harder than usual. Her eyelids felt puffy and heavy, she couldn’t keep them open for longer than a second. She tried once more, tried to focus her eyes on something,  _ anything _ . Everything in her vision was blurry, smudged at the edges. From what she could see the room was shrouded in shadows, illuminated by a shaky light that could only come from a flame of a candle. She tried to turn her pounding head to see if she was right but she found herself unable to move. She tried to move again. To lift her head, her arm, her left pinky, anything. She couldn’t. Her limbs felt heavy as if filled with concrete. Panic crept upwards, inside her body, straight to her throat making it harder to breathe.

_ “Zelda.” _

Her body reacted quicker than her mind. Her heart missed a beat picking up its pace, her breathing quickened at the sound of that deep voice. She tried to crane her neck to see its owner, to see where he was, but her head only lolled to the side like a ragdoll. She tried to get rid of the fog that covered her mind. Blinking, trying to force her vision into focus but all in vain.

Warm hands appeared on her arms out of nowhere, moving up to her shoulders, sending her heart racing. She tried to swat them away, move away from the person touching her. She wanted to scream, to yell at the person laying their hands on her body but no sound came out of her mouth. She swallowed hard, noticing the foul taste in her mouth. Her tongue felt swollen and dry; laid uncomfortably in her mouth.

_ “Wake up.” _

One hand moved from her shoulder to her cheek, cupping and stroking it gently-

_ “-wake up. Zelda,  _ it's okay. You're okay."

She bolted upright, covered in sweat, her silk nightgown sticking to her skin, her chest rising and falling frantically. Her eyes were shooting scared looks around the room, scanning every corner, expecting  _ him _ to lurk in the shadows. She felt a warm hand tentatively touch her shoulder and she almost jumped out of her skin. Her heart missed a beat, her breath caught in her throat. She turned quickly, nearly falling off of the bed in the process.

“I’m sorry,” said the person before her. Zelda saw big crystal blue eyes looking at her. She trembled with fear, thinking that maybe... Yet her reason started to slowly push its way through the mist of frantic thoughts in her mind. Those eyes weren’t his, they couldn’t be. They were kinder, softer. And this room wasn’t their bedroom in his mansion. She was in her own bedroom. In her own bed. In Greendale.

_ Mary _ , she thought, and as if on cue, her whole face came into focus. She looked concerned, sitting right next to her on the bed with her hands extended towards her as if she was a frightened or wounded animal that needed calming down. Zelda closed her eyes, bringing her own hands up to her face, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes to the point of seeing stars under her eyelids. 

“Are you alright?” she heard the soft words; the tone of voice so different from what she was used to with Mary. She was used to sarcasm, to witty comebacks, to everlasting word-battles. Not softly spoken words, with a hint of concern, of pity. It irked her. Was she alright? No. No, she wasn’t. She was cold; so very cold. Shivers of dread run up and down her spine, making her tremble uncontrollably. It stirred something that laid hidden beneath the layers of still-fresh panic and images from her nightmare. She didn’t need pity, she didn’t need anyone’s meddling in her life, and this woman… 

“I’m perfectly fine.” she barked through gritted teeth, flopping back down ungracefully on the pillow and rolling on her side, turning her back to Mary, not wanting her to see her face and the tears welling up in her eyes.

She stared at the window in front of her. From her position, she could only see a piece of a still greyish early morning’s sky. Her vision was blurry because of the tears of frustration in her eyes. It’s been two years, how could she still be crying over this? Anger was slowly rising in her stomach but it lacked its usual flare bringing up only exhaustion. She was tired, so very tired of her own mind not being able to cope with what had happened. The hot tears burned her eyes and spilled onto her cheeks, rolling down to her temple and wetting her pillow.

She was vaguely aware of the slight dipping of the mattress and the rustling of sheets behind her which indicated that Mary had lied down as well. She felt the prickling at the back of her neck, Mary’s stare almost burning her skin. She closed her eyes, letting more tears fall onto her pillow, waiting for the inevitable. For Mary to speak. She could feel the other woman’s words coming, the tension in the air, the heavy silence between them.

“Nightmare?”

Zelda opened her eyes. They landed on the window once more. She could see a flock of ducks flying high above the ground. They were probably migrating to a warmer place for the winter. What she wouldn’t give to be able to fly away from the coldness of her own shattered heart, to some warm place where the heat would cover her like a blanket. Warming her up and making all of her problems disappear. Melting her broken parts back together.

“Memory,” she said in a soft voice, hoping against hope that Mary wouldn’t hear her, and at the same time hoping with some tiny particle of her soul that she would. 

“You want to talk about it?”

“I… No.”

“If you change your mind-”

“I won’t,” she barked, a seed of irritation blooming in her stomach once more. “We’re not friends.”

“We could be.”

She turned to look at Mary over her shoulder as if the woman has gone mad. Her scowl melted away almost immediately, however, when, for a split second, she saw hurt in Mary’s eyes before the woman schooled her features into an unreadable mask.

A sudden knock on the door had her sitting up with a startle, wide-open eyes flying to the dark wood. She was sure it was Hilda who was standing on the other side but she didn't want to have to face her sister just yet. Not with leftover panic still clinging to the corners of her redrimmed eyes.

Mary seemed to sense her discomfort. 

“Come here," whispered Mary urgently, opening her arms in an invitation, looking expectantly at Zelda who couldn't grasp what it was that the woman wanted from her. Mary rolled her eyes at her. "Pretend you're asleep.”

She hesitated for a few seconds, eyeing her opened arms with a mixture of suspicion and fear, before she threw caution to the wind, and scooted closer. Mary put her arms around her immediately, bringing her closer to her chest. She ended up wrapped around the other woman like some sort of a human blanket. With her head on Mary’s shoulder, face nuzzling against the soft skin of her neck. She could feel Mary’s warmth surrounding her from every side, like a cocoon.

She cursed her memory for choosing that moment to go back to the previous day, to the kiss on the porch. She could still feel Mary’s soft lips on hers. The electricity that seemed to be flying around them at the moment. She could still see the sparks and traces of arousal in Mary’s blue eyes… 

There was another knock at the door and Mary’s soft ‘yes?’, sending her heart racing. She was sure Mary could feel her heart bruising her ribcage.

Mary tangled her hand into her red hair, brushing it lightly with her fingers, immediately calming her down and simultaneously setting every single one of her nerves on fire. She pressed her face harder into Mary’s neck, closing her eyes, trying to regulate her breathing to give off the impression of being deeply asleep. With each deep breath, she inhaled the sweet scent of green apples that lingered in Mary’s hair. 

“Oh, sorry, love.” A hushed voice reached her ears. She could see Hilda with the eyes of her imagination, standing at the threshold, peeking into the room through the cracked door. “I just wanted to check if you’d be joining us for breakfast? Or if you’d like, I can bring up a tray for you.”

“That’s so nice of you, Hilda.” Zelda felt the low rasp of Mary’s voice reverberating through her body. “We’ll come down in a minute. I'll just try to wake her up.”

Zelda felt Mary taking her fingers into her free hand, rubbing delicate soothing circles with her thumb, just like when they were on a plane, to calm Zelda down. She let herself get lost in the touch of the other woman, in the feeling of her embrace. How comforting it felt; soft flesh upon soft flesh. She got lost in that feeling to the point where she didn’t hear Hilda exiting the room and closing the door. Mary turned her head towards her, her lips brushing against Zelda’s ear.

“Zelda,” she whispered, warm breath on Zelda’s skin bringing up goosebumps. The sound of her name on the other’s lips sending shivers down her spine. “You can open your eyes now.”

She did as she was told, meeting crystal blue eyes that were looking at her with such intensity, Zelda felt her breath caught in her throat. She traced Mary’s face with her eyes. Every wrinkle, every freckle, every line, every curve. She could count every eyelash. Zelda had no idea how long they stayed like that. Frozen in the moment, looking at each other. All she knew was that she felt so warm and so calm in Mary’s embrace.

The thought has caught her by surprise, bursting the bubble they seemed to be in. She moved away from Mary, trying to ignore the cold air assaulting her skin as she missed the warmth of the other’s body; as she sat at the edge of the bed with her feet on the floor. She took a deep breath, trying to get rid of the leftover scent of the other woman’s hair from her nostrils. There was a rustling of bedsheets and she heard Mary clearing her throat.

“Do you want me to tell them you wanted to sleep in today?”

“Tell them…” she hesitated. “Tell them I’ll be right there. Just need to use the bathroom.”

“Alright.”

She heard steps, the creaking of the floorboards, and then the doors being opened. She turned around just in time to see Mary leaving the room still clad in only her nightgown. When the door closed Zelda let herself fall down back onto her bed with a tired sigh. Her mind was racing.

What was she thinking? Being here with this woman, this stranger. Kissing her. Sleeping with her in the same bed. Cuddling with her. She knew she was attracted to Mary. The sexual tension has always been there between them, even before that mess of a kiss outside on the porch the other day. Even before the kiss in the elevator six months prior. It must have been too long since her last relationship, she thought to herself. Yes, that must be why she’s experiencing all of those feelings. This was nothing more than a lack of physical contact with another human being. To be lusting after some random neighbor, honestly. Not only that but also pretending to be in a relationship with her! She has had a lot of dumb ideas in her life but this one… This one took the cake.

***

“-the cutest.”

She could hear Sabrina’s voice echoing in the hallway as she walked down the stairs, wrapping her robe around herself more tightly. She’s forgotten how cold the autumn mornings could get within the walls of the Spellman’s house. Her mind wandered to the fireplace in the parlor, thinking how lovely it would feel to sit in front of the fire later that day. She walked along the corridor on the ground floor in the direction of the kitchen. The scent of freshly ground coffee and pancakes filled up the house. She could already see with her mind’s eye Hilda, swirling around the kitchen in all of her cheery flowery glory, preparing breakfast and placing plates on the table. Oh, how she’d missed this. The casual buzzing of her family in the morning. Getting ready to go about their lives. It was so different from the emptiness of her own flat in New York.

Zelda stepped into the kitchen and came to a halt when Mary’s laughter reached her ears. Her eyes immediately located the source of the melodic sound she’s never heard before. Mary was seated at the table with Sabrina at her side. The two were petting and scratching a black cat that was laying comfortably across Sabrina’s lap, purring with content. She noticed Mary had Hilda’s flowery robe wrapped around herself to shield her from the morning's cold air. The robe was a little too big for her and the word "adorable" floated inside her head. Mary's eyes found her gaze and a smirk appeared on her lips, making Zelda's insides flutter. She scolded herself, nipping the feeling in the bud. This was simply a mare reaction to being back with her family, that was all. She was only being sentimental over being in this big, strange house.

Hilda looked up from the pot of tea she’d just placed on the table and she spotted her, still standing at the threshold. 

“Good morning, Zelds!” Hilda’s shrill voice brought her back to the moment. “Coffee?”

“Yes, please.”

She moved to the table, that was bending slightly under the amount of food that Hilda had placed on top of it, taking her seat at the head of it. Mary was sitting to her left, watching her every move while still scratching Salem behind his ear. She avoided her eyes, pretending to be interested in the food. She was embarrassed about her meltdown that morning and hoped Mary didn’t mention that little incident to her family. After all, her sister thought she was perfectly fine again.

Hilda placed a cup of steaming coffee in front of her with a quiet “there you go, love”, and took her seat. She glanced at her sister who was watching her with a small smile on her lips and smiled back, thanking Hilda in the privacy of her head. She was helping herself to some pancakes, when Ambrose entered the room, dressed in black pants and a black shirt, his work uniform.

“Morning, everyone,” he winked at Mary, placed a chaste kiss on first Hilda’s and then Zelda’s cheek, and took his seat on a long wooden bench at the end of the table, immediately pouring himself a cup of tea.

“Zelds,” said Hilda, bringing her attention to herself, “I was just telling Mary that you’ll have the house to yourselves today.” Zelda hummed in acknowledgment, focusing on spilling maple syrup onto her pancakes, trying to ignore the sensations in her stomach. “Ambrose and I have to go to work and Sabrina to school, so the house will be empty for the majority of the day. Do you guys have any plans?”

“Not really,” she muttered, cutting her pancakes into smaller pieces and purposefully avoiding Mary’s eyes, which she could feel upon herself. 

“A house tour!” Exclaimed Sabrina so loud she’d startled poor Salem that hopped off her lap with a quiet hiss. Zelda looked up at her excited niece with a raised eyebrow and a fork halfway to her mouth.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Your girlfriend hasn’t seen the whole house yet and you’re the best person to give her the tour, auntie.” She inhaled sharply as a thought seemed to pop into her head. “Show her the library!”

“The library?” asked Mary, intrigued, looking back and forth between Sabrina and Zelda. 

“It’s an interesting house, Mary,” said Sabrina with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “The library is aunty’s favorite room. She will tell you all about it, won’t you, aunt Zee?”

But before she could answer, Ambrose chuckled, sending Mary a devilish grin. 

“I think aunt Zelda and her girlfriend won’t have much time for a tour, cousin. After all, they will have the whole house to themselves, all those rooms available…”

Zelda felt the heat rising to her neck.

“Ew, Ambrose.” Sabrina scrunched her nose with disgust, glaring at her cousin. “Ew.”

“I would appreciate you keeping such comments to yourself, young man,” she said glaring at her nephew. 

“I think Ambrose was just offering us his room, Zelda.” Mary’s sarcastic voice pulled her attention. She had a look of mirth on her face, looking straight into Ambrose’s eyes, watching the blood draining from his face. “We should accept.”

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, looking from Mary to Zelda and back with horror in his eyes. “Stupid comment, sorry.”

Mary laughed at the look on Ambrose’s face. The sound made her heart flutter and she realized after a minute that there was a smile on her face. She picked up her cup of coffee, trying to hide behind it as she took a careful sip of the hot liquid. She thought about the idea of giving Mary a house tour. Since they would be staying at home, alone, for the majority of the day, she supposed it would be good to have something to do. 

“I suppose,” a slight note of resentment could be heard in her voice, “a house tour is as good a plan for the day as any, why not.”

Sabrina squealed with joy.

“You’re gonna love it!”

“Please, stay out of my room, I was only joking.” Zelda pursed her lips, trying and failing to hide the smile that bloomed at the sound of Ambrose’s pleading voice. She looked at him, brought her cup up to her lips, with sparkles of mirth in her eyes.

“Can’t make any promises,” she said before taking a sip of her coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live and breathe for some feedback!


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go and thank Miss [Claraon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Claraon) for writing the ending to this chapter! We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her.

“I’m sure you’ll find it all rather boring.”

“Try me,” said Mary.

They stood in the hallway, right next to the front door, because Zelda figured it would be as good a place as any to start the tour. Hilda left for work no more than half an hour before, taking Sabrina and Ambrose with her to give them a lift into town.

Zelda’s eyes roamed the place, noting every detail she was so used to that her mind simply ignored - wrote it off as a background. Unless she was focusing on a certain thing, she simply didn’t notice it anymore. But now as she stood there looking around the quiet place she noticed everything. An overwhelming sense of nostalgia overcame her. Everywhere she looked she saw ghosts of the past. So many memories in one place. To her right, Mary cleared her throat loudly, bringing Zelda back from her thoughts, making her realize she’d been staring mindlessly off into the distance. She blinked her vision back into focus, took a deep breath and looked at Mary who’d been watching her the entire time.

“This house is very much a part of Greendale’s history.”

“You know I studied history, how could I find it boring?”

Zelda couldn’t help a smile that appeared on her lips. Without realizing it, she slipped into her tour guide persona. And Mary listened, hanging onto her every word, drinking it all in with the interest and child-like wonder. She brought Mary’s attention to the paintings on the walls they passed on their way. Showing Mary her personal favorites, telling her little stories here and there. Mary stopped before a wall covered with framed pictures in the hallway on the second floor and pointed towards one of them.

“Who’s that?”

Zelda looked at the picture Mary was looking at. It was a faded photograph of her siblings and herself sitting on the porch steps. They were all frozen mid-laugh, laughing at a long-forgotten joke. She traced the surface of the moment locked in a glossy paper with her eyes.

“My siblings and I,” she said softly, answering Mary’s question with her gaze still glued to the picture. They were so young, so carefree, none of them in their adolescence yet. Her eyes drifted from Cecilia’s mischievous toothy grin to Edward’s round soft face, to Hilda’s twinkling eyes, to her own carefree smile. Had she really ever been this happy? She could hardly remember. 

They walked into the parlor. They were about to enter Zelda’s favorite part of the house. The one that was hidden from the eyes of outsiders. Only the Spellmans knew about the existence of the hidden corridors. And the few historians at the local museum who had read the journals of her ancestor, but she supposed there weren’t many of those anyway. Hardly anyone had time to think about the secrets of the Spellman house these days. 

“I saved the best for the end. Back in the year 1689,” she said, moving towards the bookcase with Mary trailing behind her, “Jonathan Spellman came to America from England and traveled all the way to Greendale, where he decided to plant his roots. He designed and built this house. And because he was somewhat of an eccentric,” she grabbed the edge of the bookcase, pulling it to the side with some difficulty, revealing a hidden passageway behind it, “he thought it necessary that the house have some secret corridors and rooms.”

“And you thought I’d find it boring?” asked Mary. Her eyes were wide with such incredulous excitement that it made Zelda chuckle.

She hesitated before entering the small corridor that led to the stairs. Lights had never been installed there; the nearest lightbulb was in down in the cellar, and the area before them was pitch black. She had no difficulty navigating this darkness, she’d done it enough times to be able to do it with her eyes closed. But for Mary, it could be difficult, if not dangerous. The steps leading to the cellar were steep. She glanced at Mary who was looking at her expectantly and she made her decision. It would be safer this way. She reached out her hand to Mary waiting for her to take it. Mary looked at her surprised.

“It’s dark in there,” she told her, not without a hint of defensiveness. Heavens forbid she got the wrong idea. “I don’t want you to trip and break your neck. How would I explain it to Hilda?” she joked, in an attempt to distract from the blush rising to her cheeks.

“You could say we had a little fight and you pushed me,” Mary smirked at her, raising her eyebrow. After a second she took Zelda’s hand in hers, squeezing her fingers briefly.

“Don’t tempt me,” she said under her breath rolling her eyes at the sarcastic voice of the other woman, leading her into the dark corridor. She took a few seconds to let her eyes adjust to the darkness before she started to move through the familiar shadows and the scent of dust, with Mary’s hand still firmly clasped in her own. “Anyway. This secret corridor proved to be useful... Be careful, there are steps going down right here. So, the year after Jonathan moved to Greendale, witch huntings started to be a little bit more popular around here.”

“Like in Salem?” 

“Yes, there were lesser-known trials around the country, including here in Greendale.” She felt Mary squeezing her fingers with her own. Zelda cleared her throat, trying to ignore the warm feeling in her chest. “In secret, he gave shelter to a few of the people who were suspected of being witches and hid them inside the house. Later on, he arranged for their safe escape and giving them a chance to start a new life somewhere else.”

They reached the bottom of the stairs. Zelda held out her free hand, feeling the wall beside her, trying to locate the old light switch. She found it with her fingers and turned on the lights, bringing the lightbulbs to life. It was blinding after the darkness of the staircase. Zelda blinked a couple of times to get rid of the shadows still imprinted into her eyes. They were standing in a rather large room, with a carpeted floor, covered wall to wall with bookcases full of old tomes. There was a comfy looking couch in the middle of the room, some plushy chairs, and a coffee table. Some more lamps here and there to provide even more light, given the lack of windows. The familiar smell of mildew and old books had an instant calming effect on her. A memory spruced up from deep within her mind of her mother enrolling her and Hilda to help douse the pages of each volume in cornstarch in an attempt to fight off the damp one winter. Probably an old wives’ tale she had gleaned from somewhere. Her mother was full of those. 

The feel of Mary’s fingers detangling themselves from hers brought her back to the present. Right, the tour. 

“The women slept right here,” she said, moving further into the room, towards one of the bookcases. “Once the room was no longer serving as a living space, it was turned into a library.” She let her fingers glide over the hard spines of the familiar books. 

"So the huntings continued, one rushed trial after the other, and Jonathan was hiding as many innocent people in his house as he could. Some would stay for a few days while they prepared to leave the town for good, while others settled for a long period of concealment. Among those was this woman, Phiona. Jonathan had seen her around town and he has fallen head over heels for her. He must have been devastated when she was accused of being a witch and put in front of the court in 1692. So, wanting to save his beloved, he decided to vouch for her. Because he was an upstanding citizen, and a trusted member of the parish, the judge dismissed her. After a while, Phiona fell in love with her savior and they got married.” 

“Why didn’t he vouch for others then?” asked Mary from the other side of the room with her back turned to Zelda, examining some of the books. “He would have saved himself the trouble of having to hide them.”

“He vouched for some of them. But it would be suspicious for one man to vouch for every single accused person, don’t you think?”

“How do you know all of this?”

“For a very long time, no one in my family knew this story. Jonathan had never shown the secret passageways to his children, fearing they could accidentally reveal his secret. So the mystery died along with him and his wife. Until my great-grandfather found the first corridor. Which led him to the library and to Jonathan’s journals. 

“Many of the books that were here originally were passed on to the local museum by my great-grandfather. We mostly kept a few of the journals. He documented everything." She moved towards the pile of said journals, safely wrapped in plastic pouches. 

“You said ‘the first corridor’. There’s more?”

“There is another one, but it’s no longer hidden. It’s been rebuilt and is now the staircase to Ambrose’s room in the attic.”

She remained silent awhile, enjoying watching Mary take all of this in, tilting her head to read book titles, her fingers lingering on one, then another. 

“I bet you’re the best tour guide at the museum.”

“What?”

Mary turned to her with a smile. A kind one, that crinkled her eyes softly. She was being treated to more and more of these this week, a far cry from the taunting and sarcasm that had colored most of their acquaintance until then. Zelda had to admit the change wasn’t entirely unpleasant. 

“The way you talk about it, Spellman. You’re storytelling. I had a feeling a seventeenth-century man would walk in on us at any moment.”

She turned back to the bookshelves. 

“Would you mind if I looked at a few? There’s probably stuff in here I could use for my syllabus.” 

“Of course not. Bring what you like to the parlor, I’ll make us tea.”

Back upstairs, she busied herself in the kitchen. This had been her mother’s realm, now Hilda’s, but Zelda still knew her way around it on instinct. She wasn’t sure how Mary took her tea, so she added milk and sugar to the tray. “You know I’m surprised these trials haven’t been better studied given the quality of the sources you have here,” she heard Mary call from the parlor. Adding a plate of Hilda’s almond cookies for good measure, she carried the tray through.

Mary sat cross-legged at a table among a pile of books, reading glasses perched on her nose. She looked up at Zelda.

“I say surprised, perhaps I shouldn’t be. The history of women is mostly a forgotten one. That’s why I became a teacher, you know. When I was in school my history classes were just so full of  _ men _ .” 

The open disgust that the very word seemed to evoke had Zelda chuckle.

“Now I try as much as I can to show a more balanced picture in my teaching… not that the syllabus has evolved much.” She was decidedly enjoying this side of Mary. Passionate, confident. She could see that she probably made a great teacher. 

“I never pictured you as a bra-burning feminist,”

“And whyever not?” There was a challenge in her eyes, a glint of amusement, one eyebrow raised. 

The first girl Zelda ever kissed was obsessed with Judith Bulter. She wore torn-up jeans and Grateful Dead t-shirts and went around campus on a skateboard. She suddenly pictured a young Mary doing the same. The air in the parlor seemed to close in on her and she cleared her throat.

“I suppose there are a lot of things I don’t know about you.”

“You’ve got the rest of the week to find out, Spellman.”

With that, Mary went back to pouring over the volumes she’d brought up from the library. Zelda sat back, grabbed a cookie, and sipped on her tea. This was nice. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked this first mess of a chapter!  
Don't worry, it's just an intro.  
Let me know what you think! I live for feedback lol


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